The treatment of many bacterial diseases in man and in lower animals requires the infecting organism to be isolated and identified. The identification of an infecting organism is sometimes achieved by collecting a sample from the ill patient or animal using a swab and sometimes by collecting a liquid sample from the ill patient. While the collecting of such samples generally presents no difficulty, the storage and/or transportation of the sample to the testing laboratory under conditions which require the sample to be viable and free from contamination upon arrival, does present serious problems. It is necessary to not only avoid contamination of the sample from other organisms, but to also provide an environment which will maintain viability of the microbial culture during the time it is being transported and stored prior to being tested in the laboratory.
Some organisms do not require a specific gaseous atmosphere, but should have a moistening agent or nutrient to maintain viability of the microbial sample during storage and transportation. Bacteria of the anaerobic or obligate type such as the bacilli of tetanus, gas gangrene, botulism and bacterioides require an oxygen deficient or oxygen free environment for proper growth and maintenance. Furthermore, there are other organisms which require a special gaseous atmosphere for proper growth. Thus gonococcus, meningococcus and brucella, require a carbon dioxide enriched atmosphere for proper growth.
In order to facilitate collection and transport of microbial samples, self-contained culture transport apparatus have heretofore been proposed in which a culture collecting depot and a culture sustaining means are provided in a transport container and arranged so that the culture sustaining means can be selectively activated after the culture sample is deposited in the culture collecting depot. Some prior microbial culture transport apparatus such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,163,160; 3,450,129 and 4,312,950, provide a liquid nutrient or transport medium in a transport container. Some other culture transport apparatus such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,773,035; 3,913,564; 4,012,203, 4,013,422; 4,014,748; 4,038,148 and 4,108,728 include a means which can be selectively activated to provide a suitable gaseous atmosphere in the transport container for sustaining the microbial sample. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,035, the gaseous atmosphere is provided by a rupturable container for pressurized gas. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,913,564; 4,012,203; 4,013,422; 4,038,148 and 4,108,728. the gaseous atmosphere is provided by a self-contained gas generator including a solid gas generating material and an activating liquid in a rupturable container. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,038,148 and 4,108,728, color indicator means is also provided in the transport apparatus to indicate the presence or absence of oxygen.
Many of the prior culture transport apparatus utilize tube type transport containers which required assembly of several components in a predetermined sequence through an end of the tube. This increased the time and cost of assembly of such transport apparatus. In addition, some tube type transport containers were formed of a readily deformable plastic to facilitate rupturing one or more glass ampoules inside the tube containing a nutrient, an activating liquid for the gas generator, or a redox color indicating liquid. In use, glass fragments or shards from a ruptured ampoule sometimes pierced the deformable tube and caused injury to the user and/or loss of the atmospheric sustaining integrity of the transport container.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,012,203; 4,013,422 and 4,038,148, a self-contained gas generating apparatus and/or redox color indicating apparatus and culture retaining receptacle are provided in a flexible bag or pouch. However, such bags or pouches are difficult to reseal after use and are easily ruptured during activation and transport of the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,248,302 discloses a petri dish and in which the lid has a membranous sealing flange arranged to form a seal with the dish when the lid is closed, and a capsule containing a reducing agent or other chemicals or agents for use in effecting oxygen absorption or other desired atmospheric condition in the petri dish.